* Stepping Up To Save The Planet

* Step it up for the planet. Notes on Bill McKibben’s Step It Up 2007 national grassroots gatherings to stop global warming, how you can make a big impact to stop climate change with simple choices – by eating a local organic animal-friendly diet, and Chicago’s first ever Green Festival – A PARTY WITH A PURPOSE! – coming soon. *

 

THE HOT POTATO
Serving Up a Weekly Helping of
Sustainable & Organic Gardening, Food, Health, and Community

by Adam Brockman & Aireen Joven, April 2007, #13

THIS WEEK’S DISH:

Stepping Up To Save The Planet

 

“I’m glad to see there are normal people here.”
- Woman To A Man At A 2006 Green Festival

 

SELLING ORGANIC PRODUCE AT FARMERS MARKET.
Adam and Aireen sell local organic produce at the West Bend, Wisconsin Farmers Market. Summer 2006.

GLOBAL WARMING, almost overnight, has gone from being an issue relegated to the circles of scientists, environmentalists, and a concerned handful of citizens to being a household name. Thanks to the Oscar-winning Best Documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, and the diligent research and eyewitness reporting on the catastrophic effects of global warming worldwide (including the recent bizarre weather anomalies that all of us have paid witness to), the “debate” has been put to rest. We can now move forward, united in our determination to heal our planet. So, where do we go from here? What actions can we take, individually and collectively, to reverse global warming and restore our Earth Mother to her original health and beauty?

STEP IT UP 2007

On Saturday, April 14th, in cities, towns, on mountaintops and in forests all across the country, rallies will be held to pressure Congress to cut carbon emissions by 80% by the year 2050. This event, Step It Up 2007, will consist of over 1,300 events in all 50 states, each of them organized on a grassroots level but with one unified message: that Congress needs to “step it up” and start taking legislative action to help save our planet.

Along with this singular focus, many events will address different, often local climate change issues. For example, a Step It Up rally is being held at Daley Plaza in Chicago from noon to 1PM which will focus on the 16 new coal-fired power plants currently planned for Illinois, and the impact that these new plants would have on the environment and health of Illinois residents. Another rally in Buffalo Grove at Sussex Court from 10AM-11AM seeks to organize focused action groups to raise awareness of climate change and resource depletion among members of the community, schools, and elected officials.

The Step It Up campaign, spearheaded by a team of environmental activists in Vermont, has proclaimed April 14th a National Day of Climate Action, and rallies are being planned to take place everywhere from the levees of New Orleans to the cafeteria patio of McHenry County College to an underwater rally near the coral reefs off the coast of Florida! There are at least 15 actions happening around Chicago and the suburbs from the morning to the late afternoon. Check out http://stepitup2007.org to find a gathering near you, and if you can’t attend one, find your own way to integrate positive solutions to end climate change on April 14th and beyond.

DIET FOR A HEALTHIER PLANET

One of the greatest ways we can help reverse climate change is through our food choices. Most of the food that we eat everyday travels over 1,400 miles to reach our plates, and it is estimated that for every calorie of food we consume, 10 to 15 calories are required to grow, process, package, and ship that one calorie of food. In this inefficient system, precious resources are wasted, and growing amounts of pollution and greenhouse gases are produced from the burning of fossil fuels. The alternative to this system: buying local, organically-grown produce can save thousands of gallons of fossil fuel and cut carbon emissions while providing a healthier diet and greater connection to the source of one’s food. Even better than this is growing your own food organically. Growing your own lessens driving time back and forth from grocery stores and restaurants, and lessens your dependence on the fossil fuel-dependent food shipping system. Planting a garden has the potential to reduce your food-related carbon emissions to zero. It also directly connects you to the magic and wonders of the soil and the freshest food you could possibly eat.

Another major greenhouse gas contributor in the food industry is factory farming. According to a recent study by the University of Chicago, the greenhouse gas burden of the average American diet is 1.5 tons greater than a plant-based, vegan diet (free of meat, dairy, and eggs). [1] This 1.5 tons of carbon from eating factory-farmed meat, eggs, and dairy alone accounts for nearly 20% of the average North American’s total greenhouse gas output.

Why is factory-farming so bad for the environment? First, half to three-quarters of all the grain grown in North America goes toward feeding livestock for milk, eggs, and slaughter. This grain must be grown using fossil fuel-powered tractors and shipped from grain feed farm to animal factory farm on fossil fuel-powered trucks. Next, the bodily wastes produced by factory-farmed animals produce tons of ammonia emissions, a major contributor to global warming. Then there are the rainforests: an estimated 2 acres are destroyed every second to raise livestock and the soybeans to feed them [2]. The rainforests, considered the lungs of the planet, are one of the greatest natural filters of carbon emissions that we have.

If the meat, dairy, and egg products you are eating are not labeled “organic” and “grass-fed”, and sometimes even if they are, chances are they come from factory-farmed animals. Even grass-fed cows still have a negative environmental impact in the form of methane gas, a greenhouse gas 24 times more potent than carbon dioxide, and according to author John Robbins, grass-fed cows contribute more methane gas to the environment than grain-fed cows [3]. However, grass-fed animals tend to undergo better treatment, have access to the outdoors, and tend to be better for the environment overall.

The only way to ensure that your meat, dairy, and eggs are having the least possible negative environmental impact is to get to know the farmer who is raising the animals and make sure that they are practicing sustainable animal husbandry. Such farmers can be found at websites like www.localharvest.org, and your nearest Whole Foods or other natural foods grocery store may also carry organically-raised meat, dairy, and eggs. For your own health and the health of the animals, be sure to also ask the farmer or read labels at the grocery store to ensure that the animals consume organic feed and are not given dangerous antibiotics and growth hormones, which get passed on to you [4].

Then there is the matter of fish. The same University of Chicago study cited above also showed that eating ocean-caught fish is as big of a contributor to global warming as eating beef. This is due to the long-distance voyages that are often required to harvest the fish. Even farmed fish can contribute to global warming; every farm-raised salmon requires 3 pounds of ocean-caught fish as food.

Adopting a plant-based, vegan, organic diet is one of the healthiest choices that can be made for the planet, the animals that live on it, and one’s personal health. Of course, not everybody is going to go vegan overnight, so cutting down on meat, dairy, eggs, and fish in the diet, while opting for local, organic, grass-fed animal products, is the next best choice. Ultimately, it us up to each individual to make food choices best suited to their own dietary needs, while keeping the needs of the animals and the Earth in mind. This balance is not only possible, it can open up all-new culinary vistas while allowing us to truly eat our way towards a healthier future.

A PARTY WITH A PURPOSE!

Organic food. Green fun. Free samples. On April 21st and 22nd, Chicago will be hosting its first ever Co-op America Green Festival at McCormick Place. We had the privilege of attending the Green Festival in Washington, D.C. in September of 2005, and our experience there was educational, uplifting, and a treat for our taste buds. There were scores of booths hosted by companies selling organic food bars and other foods, earth-friendly flooring and wall coverings, solar and wind power, books, clothing made from natural fibers, fair-trade gifts and crafts, and many others. There were also dozens of advocacy groups passing out literature on a wide range of topics, from natural parenting to environmental issues. We saw Amy Goodman of the independent news outlet Democracy Now! speak, and she is one of 150 speakers who will be at the Chicago Green Festival including Frances Moore Lappe, author of Diet For a Small Planet and, co-written with her daughter Anna Lappe, Hope’s Edge: The Next Diet For A Small Planet. The hundreds of exhibitors that will be at the Chicago Green Festival include Center For Sustainable Community, Greenhouse Bed & Breakfast, I-Go Car Sharing, Chicago Sustainable Business Alliance, Kimpton Hotels, Ecogardens, Soul Vegetarian Restaurant, Temptations Vegan Icecream, and ReusableBags.com.

Delicious food was served by local restaurants, and the same can be expected for the first Chicago festival. In addition, festival goers have the opportunity to attend green career and investing sessions, take advantage of a place for kids to play at the Organic Valley Family of Farms Kids’ Zone, and enjoy live music from local musicians. Expect to leave the festival with a full belly and stuffed pockets, because a lot of the food companies hand out generous amounts of free samples.

CHICAGO GREEN FESTIVAL FAST FACTS

• The 2 day festival runs Saturday, April 21st 10AM-8PM, and Sunday, April 22nd 11AM-6PM.
• The festival will be at McCormick Place/Lakeside – 2301 S. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL 60616.
• Admission for one day is $10/$5 for seniors, students with ID, and anyone who takes public transit or rides a bike to the festival.
• Admission for two days which includes a Co-op America Membership is $19/$14 for seniors, students, public transit, and bike riders.
• Children under 12 are FREE.
• The $19/$14 admission includes a year membership to Co-op America, an non-profit organization that publishes the annual Green Pages, free for members, which is a directory of hundreds of environmentally-friendly and ethical companies around the world including in the Chicago area, a newsletter with tips on green investing and careers, and lots of other useful information online at www.coopamerica.org.
• The Green Festival and Conscious Alliance will be collecting donations for the Greater Chicago Food Depository. All festival attendees who donate 10 non-perishable food items will receive a limited edition poster from artist Scott Saw. Check out the artist’s captivating work at www.scottsaw.com. The Conscious Alliance encourages people to bring healthy, low-sodium food, and they warn that Ramen noodles will not be accepted in exchange for the Green Festival poster.
• Festival organizers have taken many earth conscious steps to make the Green Festival truly “green” including purchasing credits to offset the festival’s Carbon Footprint, requiring food vendors to use compostable plates, cups, utensils, and even straws; excellent trash, recycling, and composting bins all using compostable plastic bags; staff tee shirts made out of organic cotton and assembled using fair trade labor; and event literature and posters made out of recycled materials.
• For more information on the festival and to see a schedule of events and speakers, visit www.greenfestivals.org and click on “Chicago”.

Synchronistically, April 21st is also Earth Day! What better place to celebrate than at the Green Festival? Even if you can’t make it, Earth Day is a very special day, definitely a time to meditate on all of the things that we can do to beautify the Earth and celebrate Her wonder and glory. Until next week, the Hot Potato is in your hands. Pass it on, and we hope to see you at the Green Festival!

NOTES
1. For full text of University of Chicago study and more information on the environmental effects of factory farming, visit www.anotherinconvenienttruth.org.
2. Information in this paragraph from Steele, David, Ph.D., “Another Inconvenient Truth,” The Aquarian, 2006.
3. For more information on the health benefits of a plant-based diet and the environmental and human health impacts of factory farming, visit John Robbins’ website, www.foodrevolution.org.
4. For a recent story on this topic, see Weiss, Rick, “FDA Rules Override Warnings About Drugs,” Washington Post, 4 March 2007.

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